...or I'm going to get my ass kicked:) Ready or not, first opportunity towards a World Title is coming to a university gymnasium near me...
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... actually my first opportunity was this weekend at 'Grapplers Quest', but my thumb got tangled in a Gi 2 weeks ago and I've been fighting with my thumb taped to my hand since then. In fact, I just rode my bike for the first time Sat to test it out and it's doing ok.
My boy, though, took the black belt no-gi @ 199lbs, as well as the no-gi advanced 'absolute' (any weight) class...
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...but if I can stay healthy, I'm going to fight along the very best in the world, as one of members of 'The Avengers' Team, a very small elite team of Brazilians out of Florida that have dominated and won every tournament they entered since forming. Admittedly, I'm the weakest link, but it will be an honor to fight along side them all the same, because these MFers are truly as bad as they come, when you are talking BJJ.
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...to give a sense of perspective, see the little black guy in the center in the back? That's how big I am:) But as they always say, 'its not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog'. Let's pray that it is enough:)
Countdown is on. On the 19th, God willing, I'm going to war:)
Rather you than me ;D
But what if I win?
Then you are welcome to the adulation, the good feelings and joy.
I will be proud to know you, but would not know where to start taking them on.
fighting has never been one of my strengths. :)
Any chance of a video of the matches?
Good luck with the training!
ah Dogboy:
QuoteAny chance of a video of the matches?
That would be great, would you?
The main martial art that I've practiced in my life is running. It's served me pretty well is some tough situations.
Best of luck though!
Are there weight divisions DB?
We'll see who's there to film; all my close friends will be coaching me, but that would be cool:)
I am glad you have so much confidence in me that you are putting this so high on my list of concerns:)
Yeah, I'll weigh in the night before dehydrated at 139lbs, the top of the bantam weight class. The big question is going mens or masters (30-40yrs old) and depending on the number of people I might rather do mens than jumping up 10 pounds to the very bottom of next class.
Honestly, if this were dogs, I'd think about this as a tune up race, for the Worlds, at the end of the year. But it is as big as it gets at a regional level. And it is easy to get hurt. I think I'll only have 2 fights, if I can win the first one, but like the bike video, 'there are no second chances', you lose, you're out.
But not to worry, when I finally catch eyes with my opponent, he is going to be the one that says, 'fuck, I have to fight him?'.
And then I'm going to beat him like he owes me money:)
Funny side note: Joao (the guy w belt/my best friend) said something that was so funny that I wasn't sure whether to post it in the quotes posts, or the diet one.... but I heard him say to someone at my house, while we were bbqing the night before the fight, whether he still needed to cut weight,
'f### that! We're on the South Beach Spartan diet; we eat meat, we f### bitches, and tomorrow we go to war!!!'
Hehe if you knew the guy...
good luck dogboy you can do it :)
Quotesee the little black guy in the center in the back? That's how big I am:)
Which means that you have the chance to spar with guys much bigger and stronger than you. That can't but help feeling less intimidated when you face off against someone your size!
Thanks boys, I'll do my best. The hardest part is just all the waiting w the fear that you are going fight like crap, or get tapped on something stupid. Plus when you are on a team everyone feeds off everyone else and if you do poorly it reflects poorly on you, your school, your team, and your instructor... which in this case is my best friend, so the fear of disappointing others will be strong enough to make me puke before I even start worrying about myself. For me, it's just about making myself go beyond my comfort zone to see where I am against others who are taking this as serious as I am. For me I'm never happy unless I'm miserable:)
As far as the same size guys yeah you are right. I typically fight 20-30lbs heavier than me. The problem is little guys are quick and I have no experience with that. Honestly I don't think there is much of a good side. I expect the other guy to be better than me and have better gas. Guys that aren't in shape don't train. Guys that train are in decent shape. But guys that fight in these competitions are fanatics. They try to kill each other. Two left in stretchers on sat. Like I said in that other thread you don't do these things to 'participate'. You do them to inflict pain. Submit or be submitted.
the weekend we rocked it down here, the other half of Team Avengers went up to the Abu Dhabi Pro BJJ Trials in New Jersey... and they are now headed for an all expenses paid trip to 'the Show':)
....the videos just started trickling back now:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp3k7aEIRhI
Good luck dogboy. I did a bit of boxing at school and really enjoyed it. Not sure I would have been up to this kind of stuff though...
I have a stupid question, DB:
When you say you will choke him out...do you actually choke him until he blacks out? Or...will the referee or whoever stop you just before he keels over? I mean, I kinda thought that choking someone until they black out is sort of... dangerous...medically speaking.
Just wondering.
This tournament is a 'submission grappling'/Jiu-Jitsu event, which means the fights last 4-6min and winning can come either from points, or a submission.
Points are awarded for 'take downs' (bringing the fight to the ground), 'sweeps' (fast position reversals) and gaining ground toward immobilizing the opponent, with the ultimate goal of immobilizing them with a joint lock or by choking them unconscious (or until stopped by the ref, or the opponent, who signals with a verbal or hand 'tap' they have had enough.)
Since points are a subjective thing, the goal is really to get the person to forfeit. And while a joint lock is effective it's always preferable to actually choke someone out, since that is the safest way for you to get out of a fight... whereas if I arm bar the guy on the street, I'll just break it, then go back and fight him more now he only has one useful arm, until I can get to his neck. Then I'll use my arms, or my gi, or his gi, and try to apply a 'blood choke'... meaning I am going to knock you out by cutting the blood from going to your head, as opposed to cutting your oxygen, which takes significantly longer.
I guess the other notes might be that in training we tap more often. In a real fight, you tend to try and really eat the pain. If a blackbelt chokes you will fade in 10 seconds or so, but if isn't applied right by a lower belt, you may be able to keep your head until the guy with the bad technique gets tired and either gives up, or gives you a little space to counter. As a result, the chances of going out go up when you are at a real fight and your will is stronger than your body. By the same token, you have to respect the guy that goes out because he never quit, and went down still fighting. And since fighting is as much mental as it is physical, you can't fault a guy from going out, but you might if he taps too soon.
Oh, and if I get there in one piece, I'm only fighting 'gi' (white suit) not 'no-gi' (fight shorts). In no-gi, it's very fast, you can not use clothes as handholds, and chokes are limited to using arms, not using their collar as 'the blade', or for leverage.
...oh and legs. We do a few chokes using our legs and one of your arms... it's called a triangle and is a hallmark of Jiu-jitsu
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and this one is called a 'rear naked choke'.... swear to God...
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...and believe it or not, they did it perfect. The one 'with the hooks in' (feet wrapped around) did not cross them... if you cross them, believe it or not they can submit you in a foot lock.... so they need to be around, but not crossed. The arms are right too... the choking arm's hand is on the biceps , the other one is on the back of the head with the *back* of the hand applying forward pressure. Again most civilians use the palm against the head, and we have a defense for that which will break their fingers...
I'm benched again. This is the 3rd time out of the last 3 I got injured ramping up. I guess they don't make me like they used to...
My thumb had been taped to the hand (so all I could do was curl my 4 fingers as one) for 3 weeks. On Monday, I taped it normal, X style, fingers open (to start to strengthen it.) But since I couldnt completely close it, it made the thumb stick out. I lasted about 40 mins then jammed it backwards again. And now at this point I'm back where I was on Day 1.
...Anyway, I thought about going taped but I don't think it's doing me or anyone else any good. I have to admit, if this was another sport I wouldn't think twice, but even though I never signed up formally, and the guy didn't even know about me, I still feel like I'm backing down and that is a worse feeling than getting beat for me.
But it IS grappling, and hands are important, obviously. I just know that when I was a dog musher, I broke my hand racing in Russia (after missing a turn and going off the side of a mountain) and drove a 150 more miles like that (and after 60 of those, I ripped my brake off and basically drove with one hand and no brakes) through the beginning of Typhoon Sudal. So I KNOW a sprained thumb can't hold me back... but apparently it is.
...And the old guy (in my bike video 4eyes hates) has been bitch slapping me all morning. Anyway, we'll see when the next one is.
QuoteAnd the old guy (in my bike video 4eyes hates) has been b###h slapping me all morning
LOL - suddenly I like him more ;)
ehheeheh me too!
...but there is a fine line between being the underdog and just being unrealistic:)
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